Medical Minute: Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition that affects nearly half of all American adults, yet many people don’t realize they have it. 

“Hypertension is sometimes referred to as a silent killer,” said Justin Morrison, MD, cardiologist with OhioHealth. “It can be very asymptomatic for many years, could be up to decades. So some of the early symptoms or signs would be a headache. If their blood pressure is extremely high, you would get vision changes. But that doesn't occur in all people. By the time it's really affecting your body, it could be causing kidney damage, could be causing damage in your other organs, such as the eyes.”

Hypertension occurs when the force of blood against the artery walls is too high, making the heart work harder to pump blood throughout the body. A blood pressure reading greater than 130/80 mmHg is considered hypertension, and if left untreated, it can lead to heart disease, stroke and other serious conditions. 

Risk factors include obesity, diabetes and an unhealthy diet. However, Dr. Morrison said that high blood pressure can be managed, and even improved, with lifestyle changes. 

“The most important thing up front is diet and exercise,” he said. “The healthier you eat, the better your blood pressure will be. So reducing your sodium, eating less fatty foods and less high cholesterol foods, and then exercising at least three to four days a week, ideally five days a week for 60 minutes doing some good cardio work … just being active will lower your blood pressure, and of course that goes into losing a little bit of weight as well.”

If you’re concerned about your blood pressure or need help managing hypertension, visit https://www.ohiohealth.com/services/heart-and-vascular/our-programs/cardiovascular-disease-prevention/.